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Early World History |
- What can other species tell us about ourselves?
- Why did humans emerge as the dominant species on earth?
- How has geography shaped various cultures, and how have those cultures in turn attempted to shape geography?
- What are the precursors for and defining facets of a large-scale civilization?
- What are linkages between the three major monotheistic faiths?
- How has the friction between Christianity and Islam shaped the modern world?
- Why did Europe become the global power instead of China or one of the Islamic powers?
- What were the economic, political, religious, demographic, and environmental effects of the rise of European power?
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- The Great Ape societies and their prevailing characteristics
- The evolution of early humans and reasons for human dominance among species
- Command of key geographic factors that have shaped civilizations
- The organization of humans into states, as exemplified by the case of Sumer
- Origins of the world's major religions, and the relationship between those religions and the society's that produced them
- Major links and distinctions of the three monotheistic faiths
- The rise of European power and its varied consequences
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- Extract major themes and supporting evidence from texts, utilizing selective notes to cement the learning process
- Prioritize arguments and evidence by their relative explanatory strength
- Construct thesis-driven, evidence based written arguments
- Develop a concise, focused writing style
- Research effectively
- Make presentations that are crisp, organized, interesting, and informative
- Develop critical classroom skills: focusing, listening, note-taking, collaborating, and participating
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- Annotation, note-taking, and discussion
- Formal writing
- Utilization of online tools
- Research-based projects
- Classroom presentations
- Quizzes and Tests
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Primary Texts:
- Peter Stearns's World Civilizations: The Global Experience
- Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel
- Gilgamesh
Secondary Texts:
- Selected primary and secondary source material, listed in individual units below.
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Primates |
- What can other species tell us about ourselves?
- What are the foundations of human behavior?
- What kinds of gender roles exist among chimps, bonobos, and baboons?
- Are primates competitive or cooperative animals?
- How is primate hierarchy created and maintained?
- What is at the root of primate violence?
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- Studies of chimpanzees, bonobos, baboons, and macaques
- Jane Goodall's research
- The selfish-gene and reciprocal altruism
- Studies on the impact of environment on behavior
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- Extract major themes and supporting evidence from texts, utilizing selective notes to cement the learning process
- Prioritize arguments and evidence by their relative explanatory strength, balancing conflicting materials
- Construct thesis-driven, evidence-based written arguments
- Develop a concise, focused writing style
- Develop critical classroom skills: focusing, listening, note-taking, collaborating, and participating
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- Annotation of nightly reading
- In-class discussion
- Formal unit essay (inc. Chicago-style footnotes)
- Weekly informal reflection piecesNote-
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Excerpts from:
- Wrangham & Peterson's Demonic Males
- De Waal's Our Inner Ape
- Academic journal articles by Conniff and Sapolsky
- Contemporary research findings
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Early Humans |
- Why did humans emerge as the dominant species on earth?
- What are the key questions to ask about how a species organizes itself, and what do these questions yield regarding homo sapiens?
- How has geography shaped various cultures, and how have those cultures in turn attempted to shape geography?
- What are the precursors for and defining facets of a large-scale civilization?
- Why did humans move from a hunter-gatherer existence to an agrarian one?
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- The evolution of humans, from apes to homo sapiens, including bipedalism, the intellectual big bang, and the evolutionary dead-ends
- Early human migration patterns
- The reorganization of human society, from nomadic hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers
- The further reorganization of human society, from bands to states
- The emergence of religion
- The influence of geography on many of these developmental patterns
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- Continue the development of major skills noted in Unit 1
- Independently identify key terms in readings
- Utilize online tools, including the Moodle-based glossary and Google Maps
- Processing and applying feedback, developing a plan for improvement on the second formal essay
- Peer-editing
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- In-class participation and note-taking
- Formal unit essay
- Contributions to a Moodle glossary, defining key terms
- Construction of a human migration map on Google Maps, built off of online research
- Reflection pieces
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Excerpts from:
- Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel
- Jared Diamond's The Third Champanzee
- Paul Ehrlich's Human Natures
- Robert Wright's The Evolution of God
- Academic articles by Mayell, Klein, and Christian
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The Emergence of Sumer |
- What are the precursors for and defining facets of a large-scale civilization?
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- The organization of humans into states, as exemplified by the case of Sumer
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- Gilgamesh
- Peter Stearns's World Civilizations: The Global Experience
- Supplementary Materials
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Origins of the World's Religions |
- What are linkages between the three major monotheistic faiths?
- How has the friction between Christianity and Islam shaped the modern world?
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- Origins of the world's major religions, and the relationship between those religions and the society's that produced them
- Major links and distinctions of the three monotheistic faiths
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Rise of Europe |
- Why did Europe become the global power instead of China or one of the Islamic powers?
- What were the economic, political, religious, demographic, and environmental effects of the rise of European power?
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- The rise of European power and its varied consequences
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